Influencer by Brittany Hennessy is not new to the world. It has been buzzing for a while now and with good reason. I still get questions asking "How good is it?" and "Is it worth the purchase?" More than any book, article of clothing, or beauty product that I have ever shared. Skepticism or Criticism? You be the judge. Here are 5 things that I learned from reading Influencer and why I cant stress it enough: You. Need. This. Book.
1. Make getting in contact with you the easiest thing someone has ever done.
I would always take the easy route and just add a contact page to my website and say if they need me they know how to find me. No ma'am, actually they don't. When people want to get in contact with you it's easy to say oh I have a contact page on my site, I'm good. Well what if they want to call you or email you directly? Right. Thankfully, I dove right into this book as I was revamping my website so I added the following:
- On my home page there are clickable phone and email icons at the top to quickly get in contact with me.
- On my Contact page, I have my email and phone number listed as well as a contact form for those who would like to use it. I also added my location (eventually I'll update with my business address) so that they know where I conduct business.
2. Once someone gets in contact with you, respond accordingly.
Why oh why is it so hard to respond to an email in a timely fashion? It's something I am working on as well so no judgement here. Once you get swarmed with emails it's hard to stay on top of them but don't sleep on free money, as Brittany calls it. When it calls aka lands your inbox, answer. She gives a ton of scenarios, templates, and ways to professionally respond to emails. I won't spoil it for you. (Get the book.)
3. Learn and take note from those who have been in your shoes.
With 2K followers on Instagram, I used to feel like I didn't have an influence. I would hesitate to share things that I was knowledgable about as if waiting to share at 20K would make a difference. Big. Mistake. Now that I am open to share more, I notice the change in response to my content and more feedback from my community of followers (hence the response from this post). You get what I like to call the real REAL from this book. Not only do you get insight from influencers that are doing what you are aspiring to do but you also get business tips from Brittany as she is an industry expert.
4. Being an influencer is hard work.
There is A LOT of hard work that goes into being an influencer but if you really love it you'll do what needs to be done to be successful. It's not all about the money, even though you want to make some (ok, a nice amount) as this will become your career, it's truly about doing what you love. From finding your voice to proper email etiquette to signing contracts and all the legal ins and outs, it's all in this book.
5. "Why not me?"
I think we should all ask this question every single time we start to doubt ourselves. As a matter of fact, I'm going to put this up on my action word vision board so that I can see it everyday. I love that the book concluded with this question because it's really the most important one to ask yourself other than "Why am I doing this?" You wouldn't have anything to doubt, be reading this blog post if you didn't believe in yourself, or even have a set of goals to accomplish in the first place. So don't think twice, just go for it, and never give up!
As I am learning, strategizing, and overall trying to build a successful brand, I am truly thankful for this book as it is a blueprint to continually do my best and learn more. It's no secret that I love to read but even if you're "not a reader" think of this as a manual of sorts. Whether you're just getting started as a full-time blogger/entrepreneur/businesswoman or man or you are an expert in your field, Influencer is for you.
Grab your book here.
Have you read Influencer by Brittany Hennessy? What gems have you taken from the book and applied to your business?